Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has played down suggestions that he has a frosty relationship with Eden Hazard.
The winger cost in the region of £128m when he signed from Chelsea in 2019 and remains as one of the club's biggest earners.
However, Hazard has effectively been frozen out at the Santiago Bernabeu under Ancelotti, featuring for just 296 minutes throughout 2022-23.
His last appearance came in a Copa del Rey tie at the beginning of the year, and the 32-year-old has remained as an unused substitute in the last 17 La Liga fixtures where he has been named on the substitutes' bench.
Despite having no future at Los Blancos, Hazard has insisted that he has no intention of departing the club until the end of his contract in 2024.
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In a recent interview with RTBF, the playmaker stated that he had respect for Ancelotti and any decisions that he made, but revealed that 'they do not talk to each other'.
Those comments were addressed at a press conference on Tuesday as Real prepare to take on Liverpool in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
While Ancelotti echoed Hazard's opinion that there was a mutual respect between them, he dismissed talk that the pair held 'a cold relationship'.
The Italian said: "The relationship is not cold. You have to value both perspectives. Hazard has been very honest, we don't talk much because it could be a matter of character.
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"The most important thing for me, that if we don't talk much, he still respects me. It's the most important thing, just like I respect him.
"He doesn't play because he has a lot of competition and a player in his position who is playing very well, which is Vinicius (Junior)."
Hazard is expected to be named in the squad for Wednesday's fixture with Liverpool, albeit as backup, and he has 132 minutes of Champions League football under his belt this campaign.
The last of those three outings came on October 11 when he played the final 14 minutes of a 3-2 defeat at RB Leipzig.
Darren Plant
